Plastic Pollution

Africa is home to one of the world's poorest youth populations, with around 80 million living in extreme poverty. The man below, Kwabena Akese, is a 25-year-old urban poor who spends some of his days swimming in the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon near the center of Accra to recover recyclable plastics, which he sells to recyclers for pennies. This video should get you started before you scroll down: https://youtu.be/UlEi3_XVXmw Young people are routinely not recognized as a resource in many developing countries. As such, their absence in decision making is clearly visible in a region such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa, a largely gerontocratic society, had the highest labour force participation of older persons in the world in 2015, according to the United Nations Populations Division. Many cannot afford to stop working out of fear of old-age poverty — despite reaching pensionable age. This also means that millions of Africa's youth are out of jobs because their fathers and grandfathers have 'refused' to stop working to make way for them. Africa's youth bulge is projected to grow in the foreseeable future. As the last frontier in the fight against extreme poverty, Africa's youth bulge is projected to grow in the foreseeable future. No doubt millions of young people would be forced to engage in hazardous work — such as Kwabena below — as cities creak under a load of their growing populations. Read more about this situation and Kwabena here: Related: Plastic Pollution in Ghana: Urban Trash Heroes Urban poor man swims in the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana, to recover recyclable plastics. Plastic pollution is visible in many African countries, where municipal waste management systems are inefficient. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPlastic pollution photo: Urban poor man recovers recyclable plastics from the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Only around 9% of the 8.3 billion tons of plastics that have been produced since the 1950s have been recycled. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPoverty in Ghana: Young Ghanaian man hand no choice but to swim in the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra to recover recyclable plastics in order to earn enough for food for the day. Around 8.2% of Ghana’s population lives in extreme poverty, earning below $200 per year. Around 8.2% of Ghana’s population lives in extreme poverty, earning below $200 per year, according to a Ghana Statistical Services report. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPlastic pollution in Ghana: Urban poor Ghanaian man swims in the polluted Korle Lagoon near the center of Accra to recover plastic waste to sell to recyclers. Ghana generates roughly around 1 million tons of plastic waste each year, a UNDP report shows. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPlastic pollution picture: A 2020 photograph of an urban poor man recovering recyclable plastics in the Korle Lagoon, Accra, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Plastic waste collectors: An urban poor Ghanaian man collects recyclable plastic waste from the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana. Plastic waste collectors help to reduce waste, clean up costs, and supply materials to recyclers. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPlastic waste collection: Man recovers plastic waste from the Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana, to sell to recyclers. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Youth poverty in Ghana: Urban poor man recovers recyclable plastic waste from the polluted Korle Lagoon in Ghana. Around 7 in every 10 unemployed persons in Ghana are within the youthful age group ( 15-34 years), according to a Ghana Statistical Services labour report. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPlastic waste in Ghana: Plastic pollution is destroying Ghana's water bodies. A young man is busy recovering recyclable plastic waste in the Korle Lagoon in Accra. Only 5% of the plastic waste generated in Ghana every year are recycled. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantPoverty in Africa image: Living in a harsh urban environment, Kwabena Akese, 25 years, makes a living by risking injury to swim in the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana, to collect plastic waste, which he sells for pennies. Around 80 million young people in Africa live in extreme poverty, according to a World Data Lab report. More than 860 thousand young people in Ghana between 15 and 34 years are unemployed. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantYouth poverty in Africa: Photo of a poor young African man who had to swim in the polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana, to recover recyclable plastics before he could earn money to buy food. Around 80 million youth (15-24 years) in Africa live in extreme poverty. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant From another time: Plastic pollution: An urban poor man held on tightly to his collected plastics in a sack even as he nearly submerged in the polluted Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantDJI Mavic Air 2 photo sample: Photo of an urban poor man collecting recyclable plastics in the heavily polluted Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana. The Korle Lagoon is recognized as one of the most polluted water bodies on earth. Mavic air 2 sample photo. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant

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